November Highlights

Dumela!

Dumela mma. O mang? (Hello Mam, what is your name?)

Dumela rra. Ke bediwa Chase, weno o mang? (Hello sir, my name is chase, and you, what is your name?)

Ke Tumelo. (I'm Tumelo) O tswa kae? (Where are you from?)

Ke tswa America. Ke itumelela gogoitse. (I'm from America. It's nice to meet you)

Learning Setswana is one of the many benefits of my new gig at the Baylor Clinic. Actually, it's necessary. Many of the kids come from rural villages and don't speak any English. While I've only learned a few of the basics, it's made a pleasant difference in my interaction with the children. If anything, my attempt at speaking their language with them gives them a good laugh and the ice is already broken.

I've now been with the Baylor Clinic for a solid month, and I couldn't be happier. I'm in my element! While my primary foucs is to help develop the Teen Club program, Finn and I have enjoyed starting a morning play group. If an HIV positive child is healthy, he/she comes to the clinic once a month. They come from near and far, and arrive early in the morning. The clinic sees 30 children a day. When they arrive, they receive a number and wait to be called. At this appointment they will see the pediatrician, get blood taken, receive refills on their meds, and some see the psychologist. Needless to say, this takes the entire morning...with lots of time in between to wait. Lindsay, the psychologist (and our new favorite friend), started working at the clinic in July. She has a vision that no child sits in the waiting room, but rather they be playing or learning. Since the only thing that depresses me about the Baylor Clinic is walking through that waiting room, I've decided to make her vision become a reality. So Finn in bjorn, we head to the clinic for a few hours most mornings. For now, our "play" is a mixture of games and arts and crafts. However, the ultimate goal is to put a structure in place that combines these activities with some nutrition education. Most importantly, I'm on a mission to recruit more volunteers so we can establish some sustainability.


Mochudi Teen Club Member


Mochudi Teen Club Member


Francistown Teen Club Members


Morning Play Group at Baylor Clinic

Finn and Faith

If You're Happy and You Know It...

Finn meets Kima....our new dog!

As many of you know, we weren't able to bring our dog, Yana, with us to Africa. However, she is living quite the life with my aunt Margaret and Uncle Barry. We are forever grateful that they offered to keep her while we are away.

We didn't plan on getting a dog here. However, knowing how difficult / stressful / emotional it was leaving Yana behind, I couldn't say no to our friend. Iris and her family have been here for 3 years already. She has a two year old with #2 on the way. She also has 3 dogs, Kima being one of them. Needless to say, with a new baby about to arrive, she needed to find a new home for one of her dogs. So....here we are! I must say, I really wasn't thrilled by the idea. But now that we've had Kima for a few weeks, I am very pleased (Ian and Finn were ecstatic on day 1!). She is super sweet, mellow and extremely friendly with children.

Mr. Curious

We apologize for not keeping up with the blog lately. I think these pictures will help you understand why.

Turning of the Tide

We woke up early, turned on the television and were greeted with the election results. What a great day to be an American. We finally got it right. Regardless of political affiliation it is impossible to deny that something historic has unfolded. Finn clapped and Chase teared up as images filled the screen of people around the world celebrated a barrier being broken and optimism emerging from a long slumber. President Elect Obama even took time out of his busy schedule to personally email me a note of thanks for making it happen. (You’re welcome. I’m still waiting for my t-shirt.) It’s hard to really understand the magnitude of his victory and even harder to describe the feeling I have without avoiding the tired clichés that have been thrown around. Our friend Jessica told Chase today she was now trying to figure out what she can do to help Obama and the country now that he had won. It seems to me that this is the essence of transformational leadership. For the first time in a long time, the majority of the people are engaged and interested in wanting to contribute to a cause greater than their own self-interest. “Ask not what your country can do for you…” He has inspired that in us. The locals in my office don’t really share much with me on a personal level. Few talked to me about the election before today, and to be fair I have not really offered up my views. But it was clear that most knew what outcome I was hoping for when I came into the office today. People I rarely talk to congratulated me, and their pride for Obama’s victory was on full display. So many people were downloading videos of his acceptance speech that our internet was temporarily stalled. I hoped Obama would win, but did not anticipate the overwhelming reaction. When was the last time there were feelings this strong? Much has been made about the fact that he will be the first African American president. Ok, crossing that line is huge. But I honestly believe the feeling of hope (overly used word but what else do you call it?) has more to do with the man than it does with his color. How else to explain the excitement from so many corners of the U.S. and the world? This was more than a black-white thing. I will tell you, and Chase will probably agree, that I am a much more cynical person than I was when I started down my international development career path. For all my posturing of being an idealist, I certainly question our government’s motives and what we can really accomplish more than I did when I graduated from college. This is sad, and I can’t really blame one person or one administration for this. But for the first time in a long time, I feel like things can get better and people are looking to our country to lead the way again and might actually follow. Chase asked me when Obama declared his intention to run if I thought he could win. I said I didn’t think so, the country wasn’t ready. I have never been happier to be proven wrong.

YES WE CAN!

Several summers ago, the high school students at SEED were required to read, Dreams from My Father. Even though I taught in the middle school, I couldn't pass up a free book. I remember my exact words in my response to Ian's question as to what I thought of the book: "We need someone like him to be the President!"

Needless to say, a year or so later when Obama announced that he was running for President, I was elated! I don't even have the words to describe how I feel right now!

The last time we lived abroad coincided with the beginning of the Iraq war. I told people that I was Swiss. It was rare to hear anything positive about our country, especially the President. Today is a new day. I want everyone to know that I am American. This morning I put on my Obama t-shirt and made sure that I was out and about town. I wasn't really expecting any type of response....but let me tell you, I got one! I think the locals were pleasantly surprised that I voted for Obama. I can't tell you how many "congratulations" I received.

For many reasons, I wish that we were in DC today for this historic moment. The main one being that I would give anything to be with my students. I would give anything to be their teacher today - to greet them as they entered my classroom knowing that Barack Obama will be our next President. I have these incredible images of some of my former students, particularly, the young men. I imagine them walking with their heads up, and their eyes wide open - so much that you can actually see them begin to realize a new sense of hope. Not just a glimpse of it, but a tangible hope, one that they can reach out and grab.

As we watched Obama deliver his speech (it was already Weds. morning here), I cheered and I cried. I'm still overwhelmed with emotion and I am finding it difficult to articulate my thougts. For lack of a better phrase...it feels good to be an American.